I told myself that I would not want to make this blog a political debate, but really, this has been my biggest irk lately.
Two and a half years ago, I broke a glass jar while washing it, which cut my thumb really deeply, including my tendon (this part controls the bending of a joint). After going to the ER, I was sent home and told to come back the next day for surgery. In the following four months, I went through physiotherapy, which has rendered my thumb only semi-usable. Try it now: you can bend your thumb so that it touches your palm. How much can you bend it? I can bend my right thumb so that the tip of my thumb fingernail touches my palm at a right angle, and my 2 thumb joints bend so that it looks like a U. On my left hand (the one whose thumb was cut), the top part of the flat part of my thumb can touch my palm, and when my thumb joints are bent, it forms a right trapezoid. So, you may say, no big deal - most people don't get what I'm talking about when I show them. Let me tell you about no big deal. Try lifting a heavy pan off the stove with one hand when your thumb doesn't have the strength to bend and stay down. I don't know if there was a mistake made with my surgery, or if the physio was mismanaged, or if they just cut off my physio before I had a chance to completely heal, but either way, I was at the mercy of public healthcare and the decisions made for me.
OK, I'm getting over it - no one else cares about my useless thumb. Now fast forward 1 and a half years later. I now have a visible bump on the side of that thumb, which is about as hard as cartilage. It also hurts. The solution: have it ultra sounded and x-rayed, and when there is no useful data from those tests, put me on the waiting list to see a plastic surgeon. Great, except that it can take at least 6 months to a year to get an appointment (read: make an appointment time, not actually see the plastic surgeon). So I'm at the 6 month mark with no word from the plastic surgeon, and the pain is actually getting worse. Now when I pick up a heavy pan from the stove, I worry that I'll drop it if I don't use 2 hands because one small nudge means the weight of the pan hits the sore spot on my thumb. Putting lotion on my hand hurts - this is actually pathetic. Maybe you think I'm over-reacting or being dramatic. Doing simple day to day tasks, such as cooking and cleaning, actually make the pain worse.
I am not a whiner. I can withstand fairly high amounts of pain - I avoid painkillers whenever possible...didn't even take my heavy duty pain killers when I had my wisdom teeth removed.
So for those of you advocating for public healthcare, I ask you this: what are you going to do when your problem isn't deemed serious enough and you are stuck with no treatment or solution?
Maybe my problem seems small and petty compared to the thousands of people with cancer. My friend, early 20's, was having chest pains. She had some tests that were inconclusive and she wasn't even put on a waiting list. Just told that they couldn't find anything wrong and unless her symptoms changed, they couldn't do anything about it - THAT is reactive healthcare folks. I hope you're okay with that.
My grandmother fell down a set of stairs. She didn't want to go to the hospital, but we finally convinced her (we didn't call an ambulance because you get charged if you call an ambulance - by the distance - it's just as easy to call a cab). After waiting for hours, she got "seen" by a doctor. He did not examine her, check her pupils, ask her any questions, or check her head for bumps. He told me and my aunt to watch for certain symptoms that may indicate she has a concussion and come back if she showed any. There was no contact between the doctor and patient who had fallen down the stairs. Are you okay with that?
Public healthcare is widely reactive instead of proactive, and to be honest, it's not free. I live in Canada, and while helathcare is "part" of my taxes, I still pay a healthcare premium, which is dependent on my income. This is in addition to the 1/3 of my income I pay in taxes, even though I make under $50,000. I still pay for dental, eyecare, and all prescription meds. Even my husband who is technically legally blind without his glasses has to pay for his own eyecare. Is that worth it to you?
And while I'm ranting, I pay all these taxes, yet somehow, I don't get any deductions for donating used goods to charity, and my mortgage is still taxed. When I go shopping online, if I ship from the US, I get charged extra shipping, have to pay somewhere between 50%-100% of the price in duty, plus sales tax of 13%. However, I just don't have the option to buy certain items from a Canadian retailer. This is WITH a "free-trade" agreement. This is WITH me being a dual citizen of both countries - I file a tax return with both governments. Yet I have to pay both governments.
Rant ended.
